The sun was setting as Ella closed the door to her apartment and walked down the driveway to her toyota. She looked up at the sky as she unlocked the car door, admiring the colors of pink and purple as the sun touched the clouds on the horizon. Although summer was coming to an end and the nights were beginning to grow chilly, this particular evening was quite beautiful. Her lightly glossed lips curved into a smile as she opened the door and sat down to set off to her destination. She was on her way to meet a potential client who was interested in purchasing some camera equipment. This particular client happened to be a handsome young man whom she had talked to before but didn't know too well. Even though her job didn't allow relationships with clients, she still had fleeting thoughts every now and then, what could that hurt? They had arranged to meet at a coffee shop just down the road from her house, so she arrived quickly and parked to wait. Before she got out of her car she glanced in her mirror and brushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair away from her pale, lightly freckled face, then heard a car roll up to park beside hers.
She turned her head to look out her car window and gave a polite smile when she saw he had arrived. She smoothed down her black skirt, then stepped out of the car. She stumbled back a bit when she saw how close he was standing. When she collected herself, she noticed that his hand was extended in the gesture of a formal hand shake. Her left hand reached up to her face to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear while her right hand extended to shake his. She raised her blue gaze to meet his and gave an embarrassed smile.
"It's always nice seeing you, Ella."
As he spoke, she nodded and dropped her hand, "You too, sir." She was a very shy person and she still felt awkward for almost bumping into him a moment before, but he didn't seem to notice.
The smile never left his face, as he continued, "So, how are you today?"
It was getting dark as the last traces of sunset disappeared behind the mountains around the parking lot. She glanced around nervously as she answered, noticing that there weren't any other cars nearby.
"Good, I don't want summer to be over yet. It's already getting cold." She added with a shiver and she wrapped her slender arms around her small frame. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and touched her shoulder. Even though she claimed to be cold, her skin was warm and soft under his calloused hands. She jumped slightly at the unexpected touch and she looked up at him from under her lashes, her cheeks growing hot as goose bumps raised down her arm.
"Here," he said, "Let me help you."
Before she could say or do anything, he put his other hand on her cheek and embraced her body. He leaned forward and kissed her passionately, and she let out a small surprised squeak before jerking away from his grip. She looked at him in shock, and the look in his eyes that gazed back at her was full of hunger. Her heart began to race and as she opened her mouth to say something, his lips were on hers again, his tongue caressing hers. This time he had her arms pinned to her sides with his arms around her small waist, wrapping around so that his hands overlapped across her lower back. His embrace grew tighter as she struggled under his muscles. He let her go and looked her in the eyes, "I'm sorry." He took a step back and sighed, "I didn't mean to scare you."
She caught her breath and looked back up at him, noting the genuine concern in his voice as he spoke. She shook her head, "You know I can't..." her words trailed off as he took a step closer, edging her back toward her car.